Butterfly ‘Blast Badge’ a Brain Buttress

12/27/2010

A butterfly could be a lifesaver for soldiers in war, or even down the road, workers in an explosive environment.

Mimicking the reflective iridescence of a butterfly's wing, researchers developed a color-changing patch soldiers could wear on their helmets and uniforms to indicate the strength of exposure to blasts from explosives in the field, said investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Future studies aim to calibrate the color change to the intensity of exposure to provide an immediate read on the potential harm to the brain and the subsequent need for medical intervention.